The Short and Bitter Life of Miranda Gwenyth Wood
by Kisses Under The Apple Tree
Summary: "Of all the things I thought I would do in my life, fighting for my life beside the guy I love and my stupid older brother would never have been one of them." Follow the life of a girl, an unimportant, innocent girl thrown into the wizarding war with tragic results.


A/N: not sure i like the way this story is... bit of concrit would be appreciated! is Andi a Mary Sue? cuz i can't tell v.v AAAAAAAAAAANYWAYS on with the story! a cookie to the reviewers!

-Lily

"Andi… Andi… wake up darling. Todays the day!" Mum called in a sweet voice that she always used before she was going to get stern soon. I groaned and rolled over, burying my head under the pillow.

"Go away. I wanna sleep." I moaned. With this Mum walked up to my bed and ripped the covers off me.

"Miranda Gwyneth Wood, get your bum out of bed!" she yelled. I groaned and got up.

"Fine, fine I'm awake!" I slumped over to the wardrobe and pulled out a pair of jeans and a tee shirt, putting them on and tying my burgundy hair into pigtails. I inspected the roots, grimacing at the brown hairs coming through. I should have dyed it earlier. I slouched out into the lounge room to see my older half-brother sitting there. What the heck is he doing here? I thought to myself. He got up and walked over. He already had his Hogwarts robes on. Ugh. What a nerd. I thought again. He smiled politely.

"Hey Andi. You excited for your first day at Hogwarts?" He said in a very patronizing tone.

"I guess." I shrugged. I didn't like him very much. His name was Oliver, and his Mum hated mine. After Dad died a year ago he disappeared with her. He only came back a few weeks ago when he remembered that I would be going to Hogwarts soon.

"You'll be a Gryffindor I bet. Dad was, and I am, so it's pretty set in stone." He smiled like he expected me to want to be like him. I took a deep breath and counted to ten, looking over his shoulder at Mum. She looked slightly annoyed.

"I have to go pack." I turned on my heel and left, heading back to my room. I had already packed of course, I wasn't an idiot. I sat on my bed and looked around the room. I was gonna miss our little apartment on the outskirts of London. I looked at the muggle clock on the bedside table and yelped with fright. I heaved my trunk out into the hall and pulled my wand out of my pocket. I walked as steadily as I could towards the fireplace. Mum grinned at me and looked over at Oliver with mild interest. I grabbed a handful of floo powder, stepped into the fireplace and yelled

"Platform 9 and ¾!" as the flames rose around me; I turned and found myself on the platform of 9 and ¾. I looked around in excitement, which I quickly masked with disinterest when Oliver came through the fire. I saw the train and made my way over, not letting him show me the way. Oliver had stopped to talk to a dark haired girl and a red haired boy, who I remembered from his long stories to be Percy Weasley and Penelope Clearwater. I rolled my eyes. Trust my brother to befriend the prefects. I said an emotional goodbye to Mum and boarded the train at five minutes to eleven. I managed to get a compartment alone and was grateful when Oliver didn't come find me. I sat there for about fifteen minutes when a red haired girl poked her head through the door.

"Do ya mind?" she said with a shy grin. "Everywhere else is full." I nodded and forced a smile. Merlin I hated people. Okay, so it's not that I hated people, I just hated the awkwardness of talking to people my own age. She sat down and smiled at me.

"I'm Ginny Weasley. It's my first time on the train. Are you nervous? I am. I hope I'm in Gryffindor. That's where my entire family is. What about you? What's your name?"

"Miranda Wood, but everyone calls me Andi." I said with an earnest smile. She seemed like a nice enough girl.

"I'm kind of nervous. My brother Oliver wants me to be in Gryffindor but I kind of wanna be in Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw." I said. She grinned at me.

"Your brother is Oliver Wood? He came to visit in the holidays; he's friends with my brother Percy. All he talked about was his prodigy little sister and how she was a true Gryffindor." She laughed and I laughed with her. A few moments later we were sitting in comfortable silence when a blonde girl with shining yet dazed grey eyes wandered in, as if she was lost.

"Hello." She said in a dreamy voice. "May I sit with you?" I looked at Ginny and nodded. The new girl drifted in and settled into a seat besides Ginny.

"Oh, hi Ginny." She said with a smile. Ginny looked perplexed for a second and seemed to recognize the girl.

"Oh! Luna, hi!" she grinned at her. Ginny waved her hand towards me and back to the new girl.

"Luna this is Andi Wood, Andi this is Luna Lovegood." The three of us chatted for the next few hours, until the train was slowing down and finally stopped. I jumped up, grabbing my stuff and running out onto the platform. Luna and Ginny followed and we looked around the platform. Ginny pulled us over to where a giant man was.

"First years over 'ere please! First years over 'ere!" he called out.

"Four to a boat, cept for me. I gotta 'ave one to meself, for me weight ya see." Luna, Ginny and I climbed into a boat, joined by a boy named Collin Creevey. He was taking pictures of everything. I sat there, waiting anxiously for my first glimpse of Hogwarts. When the castle finally rose into view, a shiver of delight ran through me.

"There it is." Murmured Ginny. Luna smiled her dreamy smile and Collin took a picture. We pulled up on the bank of the lake and clambered out, with Collin narrowly missing falling in. we followed Hagrid in a single file, alphabetical line. I was next to Ginny, near the back. As we walked through the heavy doors, a woman with a sharp expression and spectacles met us at the door to what I assumed to be the Great Hall.

"I am Professor McGonagall, the deputy headmistress and head of Gryffindor house. In a moment you are to be sorted into your houses. You are to follow me in your single file line and wait for your name to be called. When it is you are to sit on the stool and place the hat upon your head. Now, good luck." She turned and walked briskly inside. We followed after her. I glanced around nervously, until I saw Oliver watching me. I took a deep breath and stuck my nose in the air. When we reached the front the first name to be called was Collin's. After a few moments of the hat on his head it called out Gryffindor in a booming voice. He jumped off the stool and ran to the Gryffindor table, which was cheering and clapping. Slowly, the line shortened down. Luna was sorted into Ravenclaw, along with three other girls and five boys. Finally, it was Ginny's turn. The second the hat touched her head it called out "Gryffindor!" she skipped over to the table, sitting down between Collin and a boy with red hair and glasses, who gave her a hug. I was watching them until I heard McGonagall call out my name.

"Wood, Miranda!" I stumbled up to the stool, sitting down on it and placing the hat on my head. It was so huge it flopped over my eyes. "Interesting, interesting." Muttered the hat in my ear.

"There's certainly enough courage to be a Gryffindor, but there's a thirst to be different from your brother. Well, I think I'm going to have to say" with this the hat's voice rose to speak to the entire hall. "Ravenclaw!" I grinned and jumped off the stool, running over to the Ravenclaw table. I didn't understand why everyone was laughing, until I realised I had the hat still on my head. I blushed bright red and took it back to McGonagall, handing it to her. I took my seat beside Luna, who smiled at me. I grinned over at Ginny, who was across the hall. Later, Luna and I were in our dorm with the other girls, Patty, Jessica and Harriet. They were chattering while I lay on my bed contemplating what had happened that day. Here are three things I knew for certain.

1. I had two new friends, Ginny and Luna.

2. I had succeeded in being sorted somewhere different from Oliver.

3. I was extremely excited to start my new life at Hogwarts. With these comforting thoughts, I fell asleep, dreaming of the lessons I would be attending the next day.


End file.
